Hit 500 pounds of compost from my own kitchen scraps today

I started a little compost bin in my backyard in Austin back in March, just throwing in veggie peels and coffee grounds. This morning I weighed what I've collected and it hit 500 pounds exactly, which blew my mind because I barely think about it day to day. That's half a ton of waste that didn't go to the landfill, and my tomato plants are loving the soil it made. Has anyone else checked how much waste they've diverted with a small setup like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_anderson1mo ago

Not to rain on your parade but 500 pounds over a few months is basically a large trash bag every couple weeks, right? I mean my neighbor's lawn clippings alone probably hit that in a season and he just bags them for the city. Maybe it's just me but I feel like the real impact is whether that compost actually replaces purchased soil or fertilizer, not just the weight of stuff you didn't throw away. Idk, good on you for the tomatoes though, that part sounds legit.

haydenp951mo ago

Completely agree, that 500 pounds is no joke and I had the same shock when I weighed mine after a year. I started a bin in my tiny Dallas backyard last summer and ended up with over 400 pounds of scraps turned into black gold for my raised beds. The real win is seeing how much less trash I put out each week and how my pepper plants went from sad to ridiculous without buying any fancy soil.